Taft student investigated for alleged threats of violence

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TAFT, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) - Kern County deputies investigated an alleged threat made to students at Lincoln Junior High School in Taft.

A student at the school allegedly sent eight classmates threats of harm via a text message phone app. The sheriff's office investigated the situation Monday morning, interviewing the suspect and his parents, and determined he has no access to guns or an actual plan to commit harm.

The suspect reportedly told deputies that he was joking.

The sheriff's office said the student was suspended from school, and its investigation was sent to the Kern County District Attorney's Office for review.

This episode comes just more than a month after a shooting at Taft Union High School. Bryan Oliver, 16, is accused of hauling a shotgun into a science class Jan. 10 and shooting 16-year-old classmate Bowe Cleveland.

Oliver is widely reported to have compiled a hit list, though officials with law agencies and the school district have not confirmed that.